Field
The invention relates generally to the field of displays for portable handheld electronic devices and, more particularly, to a display that is switched between portrait and landscape modes as a function of a sensed orientation of the user.
Background
Portable data and media display devices, such as mobile telephones, e-book readers, tablet computers and the like typically have rectangular display screens with a “portrait” orientation. It is often desirable to view content in a “landscape” orientation. This can be accomplished by rotating the display screen by 90° and selecting a landscape presentation (or landscape display mode). A manual selection may be provided, but many devices now have inertial sensors to automatically select a landscape presentation when rotation of the device is sensed.
In some situations, the user of a portable device may not want the display mode to change when the device is rotated. For example, a user may start reading email messages or playing a game while sitting upright, but may then decide to lie down while continuing to use the device. The user does not want the display mode to change in such a situation because the relative orientation of the user's eyes with respect to the display screen has not changed. While a manual display mode selection may be provided to override the inertial sensor, this is an inconvenient solution to the problem.